Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-05
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The chart below shows the value of one country’s exports in various categories during 2015 and 2016. The table shows the percentage change in each category of exports in 2016 compared with 2015.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The bar chart illustrates one country's export earnings of five different categories during 2015 and 2016. Whereas the table below reveals the change in the values of those products.
Overall, exports of all products have increased slightly, except for gems and jewellery. The textile category is the highest in exports compared to the other products.
In the year 2015, the exported petroleum goods earned around 60 billion before rising to around 62 by 2016. The engineered goods yielded around 55 billion which then rose above 60 billion by the end. However, Agricultural products which were exported to other countries earned only 30 billion and continued with same earnings even in the next year. In addition, Textiles had the lowest earnings, which is around 15 billion in 2015 followed by rapid increase above 30 billion by 2016. On the other hand, the earnings on Gems and jewellery had declined from 42 billion to around
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response partially addresses the task. While the student attempts to provide an overview and mentions most of the categories, the information presented contains inaccuracies and lacks full development. For instance, the overview incorrectly claims that the textile category is the highest in exports, whereas petroleum products and engineered goods actually had higher earnings. Furthermore, several data points are misread or vague, such as stating textiles started around 15 billion when the chart shows 26 billion. The response also trails off incomplete at the end ('Gems and jewellery had declined from 42 billion to around'), leaving the task unfinished. To reach a higher band, the student must accurately report figures directly from the visual data, present a correct and fully supported overview, and ensure all sentences and thoughts are completed.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response shows some organization with a basic division into paragraphs, including an introductory sentence and an overall summary. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the logical flow is hampered by incomplete thoughts and abrupt shifts between categories. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes inaccurate; for example, 'Whereas the table below reveals' is a sentence fragment functioning as a dependent clause without a main clause. Referencing and linking between sentences could be much smoother. To improve, the student needs to use logical connectors more effectively to guide the reader through comparisons and trends, ensure every paragraph has a clear thematic unity, and avoid sentence fragments.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using terms such as 'illustrates', 'export earnings', 'categories', and 'percentage change'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, but these are accompanied by lexical inaccuracies or misinterpretations of the data, such as referring to values as 'billion' without specifying currency or misreading the chart scales. Word choice is generally understandable, but some phrasing feels unnatural. To achieve a higher band, the student should incorporate a wider variety of precise vocabulary relating to trends and data reporting, and ensure absolute accuracy in matching vocabulary to the visual data provided.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Whereas the table below reveals the change...' and 'In the year 2015, the exported petroleum goods earned around 60 billion before rising...'. However, there is a limited range of structures successfully controlled, and frequent errors persist, including awkward phrasing, missing words, and incomplete clauses. For example, the final sentence is cut off entirely. While the errors do not completely obscure the intended meaning in the earlier sections, they cause noticeable difficulty for the reader. To improve, the student must focus on sentence completeness, accurate use of prepositions and articles, and reducing grammatical slips across complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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